Samsung Galaxy S3 Pre-Orders Open On Verizon, Early July Launch

Verizon began accepting preorders for the Samsung Galaxy S3 on Wednesday, but orders won't be delivered until early July, according to a screenshot on a popular gadgets' website, which would likely make it one of the last major U.S. carriers to release the phone.

According to Slashgear.com, the phone won't be available from Verizon until July 9.

AT&T also opened up preorders for the phone on Wednesday, announcing the phone will be shipped within the next couple of weeks. T-Mobile and Sprint have revealed that the phone will be released on June 21 and U.S. Cellular will start taking preorders on June 12, with shipments to follow in the July.

The race is on for U.S. carriers to supply one of the most anticipated phones of 2012.

The 16 GB model of the S3 will be available from AT&T on a two-year contract for $199.99. The addition of the Samsung Galaxy S3 to our portfolio of 4G-LTE devices gives our customers another truly cutting-edge smartphone to choose from, said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, devices, AT&T Mobility. With an exclusive red color this summer and the power of the nation's largest 4G network, AT&T delivers the best wireless experience for Galaxy S3 fans.

Sprint and Verizon will charge $199.99 for the 16GB phone, while Verizon customers can get the 32GB for $249 on a two-year contract.

One U.S. carrier who has taken measures to stand out in the mass launch of the phone is AT&T, who announced that it will be releasing an exclusive red version of the phone, in July.

The S3 heralds a 4.8-inch screen, Qualcomm S4 processor , voice control and face recognition. The new Super AMOLED display is 22 percent larger than its predecessor, bringing the phone into the Galaxy Note's phone/tablet hybrid category.

Samsung launched a face recognition feature on its latest phone in an effort to make the Smartphone experience more natural. The phone uses its front camera to identify the user's eye movement and ensures it never goes dark or switches off while the user is looking at the phone.

Samsung has also improved its voice control feature with a sophisticated, Siri-like voice recognition system dubbed S voice. The service allows users to make verbal demands to control their phone. Texts and emails can be dictated and photographs can be taken through voice commands using the feature.

The S3 also includes an NFC chip, which enables content sharing -- including video -- through tapping two phones together. The chip can also be used to make mobile payments.

The new Pop up Play feature on the phone enables multitasking, allowing users to open a video in a window on screen, and then use other apps with the rest of the screen.